The creative writing fellowship provides funding to Marzano-Lesnevich, a Boston resident, and 37 other fellows who are published writers that enables them to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement, according to arts.gov.

NEA fellowships are highly competitive. The NEA received more than 1,300 eligible manuscripts in this round. Successful manuscripts are selected through an anonymous panel-review process for which the sole review criterion is artistic excellence and merit.

Marzano-Lesnevich is writing a book of combined family memoir and literary journalism about a Louisiana murder and death penalty case, according to her website.

Marzano-Lesnevich has been recognized in Best American Essays 2013, and has had work published in the New York Times, Iowa Review, Salon, Oxford American, Los Angeles Review, and many other publications.